Graevale

  “I have a question,” she said as they trudged their way through the snow.

  Kaiden paused, so she stopped as well and turned to face him.

  “Just one?” he said with a wry smile.

  Alex returned his expression and admitted, “Well, no. But just one for now.”

  “Then shoot.”

  “If you have the ability to use so many gifts,” she said, still struggling to comprehend the scope of his power, “then when we were at Sir Oswald’s and you realised Jordan and I had been taken captive, why didn’t you just storm in, all guns blazing?”

  “All guns blazing?” Kaiden repeated with a chuckle. “I’m presuming that must be a Freyan expression.”

  “Shhhh!” Alex hissed, jumping forward to cover his mouth and looking wildly around.

  She felt his body shake under her hand, and when she turned back to him, his eyes were bright with humour. Hastily, she dropped her arm and stepped back again.

  “It’s after nine at night and we’re standing outside in the middle of winter,” Kaiden said. “Only an idiot would be out here spying on us. And,” he added, “with your heightened senses, I’m pretty sure you’d know if they were.”

  Alex cringed both internally and externally at him knowing yet another secret of hers. “You really have figured out a lot about me, huh?”

  “I knew something had changed after watching you fight Aven at Sir Oswald’s,” he said, not bothering to deny her words. “I even told you I’d never seen a human move or fight like you, let alone hold their own against a Meyarin.”

  “You didn’t demand answers,” Alex said, remembering how he’d let it go but made her promise to ask for help if she needed it. Softly, she added, “I was really grateful for that.”

  Kaiden offered a one-shouldered shrug. “To answer your question about that night, and calm your earlier fears about my hypothetical megalomania,”—he still looked way too amused by that—“while my gift means I can potentially do a lot, I also have some strict limitations.”

  Alex just looked at him, waiting for him to go on.

  “It’s extremely challenging for me to use the gifts of others,” he admitted. “It requires a great deal of concentration if I want to have any kind of control.” He waved a hand around the campus. “Akarnae students study for years just to learn how to manage their own, single gift. Now multiply that by how many abilities I can choose between and you’ll have an idea of how much discipline it takes for me to control what I can do.”

  “Sounds exhausting,” Alex guessed.

  “It is,” he confirmed. “Depending on the particular ability I use, it can drain my energy very quickly. So I have to be careful what I do and for how long.”

  Alex nodded, knowing from people like Jordan and Skyla how keeping some gifts activated took effort and became tiring after a while.

  “I can also only use one gift at a time,” Kaiden said. “I can’t read someone’s mind while also using Jordan’s transcendence, for example. It’s one or the other.”

  Alex nodded again, since that made sense.

  “So, that night at Sir Oswald’s,” Kaiden continued, “once we figured out something had gone wrong, I decided that using Hunter’s perception and awareness gift was the best way to go, so that when Declan and I did burst in ‘all guns blazing’, I knew exactly where to shoot off a few Stabiliser rounds to drop people before that telekinetic woman caught us in her grip. But unfortunately,” he added, “I didn’t know about the nullifying woman who stopped me from then being able to do anything else after that.”

  “Why didn’t you just steal Lena’s gift and turn it back around on her?” Alex asked, pulling her coat tighter around her body. “Nullify her nullification? Then the others could have been freed from her grip, too.”

  Kaiden shook his head. “I can only take on someone’s gift by physically touching them, and that night was the first time I’d ever encountered her.” He let out a sound of frustration. “I wish I’d had a chance to steal her ability, though. Then I’d be able to stop what she’s doing now.”

  Alex peered at him in curiosity and repeated, “What she’s doing… now?”

  Kaiden cocked his head to the side. “You don’t know?”

  Even more curious, she asked, “Know what?”

  He looked astonished. “I thought you were close to the headmaster?”

  Not sure what that had to do with anything, Alex said, “I am.”

  Kaiden just continued looking at her in surprise. “Then he didn’t tell you how he and others both at the academy and out in the rest of the world are being targeted by Lena? How they’re unable to use their abilities because she’s neutralising them?”

  Alex paled. “What are you talking about?”

  “She has to know the person and the specific gift they have in order to stop them, but some people’s abilities, like Marselle’s, are common knowledge,” Kaiden informed. “He, as well as a stack of others, have been blocked for months now.”

  Alex’s stomach plummeted as she thought again of Lena nullifying D.C.’s gift—and she wondered how she’d never considered the possibility that others were being targeted as well.

  “I thought you knew,” Kaiden said. “Without Lena’s interference, Marselle and his supernatural wisdom would have been way ahead of Aven and his plans by now.”

  That explained so much. It explained why Darrius was so full of doubt, so concerned for Alex, and so hesitant to speak up amongst the other teachers to force a plan of action. He was used to being guided by his gift, but now he couldn’t even access it.

  “I didn’t know,” Alex said quietly. “Who else is Lena targeting?”

  “I’m not sure,” Kaiden answered, “but I think a few of the teachers, as well as some of the higher ups in the military. Jeera’s mentioned some Warden friends who haven’t been able to use their abilities for a while now, too.”

  “Is she…?”

  “She’s fine,” Kaiden assured her. “Lena doesn’t know about Jeera’s gift.”

  Alex toed the snow with her boot. “And you? Does Lena—does Aven—know what you can do?”

  “Are you kidding?” Kaiden laughed. “At the risk of sounding arrogant, Aven would have tried to Claim me long before now if that were true.”

  “But at Sir Oswald’s, Lena nullified you. And Aven—he recognised your name. He knew you were training with Athora.”

  “Firstly, Lena was in close range then—her ability acted like a blanket over everyone in that room without her needing to know personal specifics,” Kaiden said. “And secondly, very few people in this world know who Athora is. Those who have heard of him tend to believe the rumours that he is highly proficient in the mind arts. That’s true, but Aven is one of a very small list who know there is much more to Athora—more than you or I will ever know.”

  Mr. Mystery Man strikes again, Alex thought mildly, wondering if she’d ever learn any of Athora’s secrets.

  “But Aven is also condescending enough that, even though he knows exactly the kinds of things Athora might teach a student, he would never imagine Athora would deign to share those things with what Aven considers to be a lowly human.”

  “I’m not sure I’m following,” Alex admitted after a pause, sensing there was more.

  “My aunt is the commander over the entirety of Medora’s human intelligence and armed forces,” Kaiden said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “From the moment Jeera and I could form coherent thoughts, we were both trained to protect our minds from gift manipulation. To guard our secrets—and any secrets we might overhear deliberately or by accident.”

  Alex recalled how Signa had been frustrated when he’d been unable to read Kaiden’s mind, something she’d wondered about at the time but later forgotten.

  “The rumours circulating about Athora are, predominantly, that he is the most adept instructor for anyone wanting to learn how to fortify their mental defences,” Kaiden said. “So you’re right—Aven had heard of me. But since
Signa couldn’t read me, Aven concluded that Athora was teaching me how to protect against mental manipulation. He was blinded by his contempt for humans and didn’t once consider that I might be training with Athora for other reasons, as well.”

  “So…” Alex summed up what she really wanted to know. “He doesn’t know about you?”

  Kaiden chuckled and confirmed, “He doesn’t know about me.”

  She nodded once. “Good. Let’s try and keep it that way.”

  Drawing his hand from his pocket, Kaiden reached out and curled his arm around Alex’s shoulders, pulling her close and leading her forward along the path once more. “I can promise you that’s my intention.”

  “Good,” she somehow managed to utter, despite being wholly distracted by his new, unexpected proximity.

  “Do you have any other questions before we freeze to death or reach eavesdropping ears?” Kaiden asked.

  Alex struggled to think of anything while she was held so closely against him. Even through their layers of clothing, she felt the comfort of his heat enveloping her. And that smell—how could he possibly smell so good? She was certain she must reek of wood smoke after sitting in front of Athora’s fireplace for the last few hours. Never before had she wished so much for a change of clothes and a bottle of instant shampoo.

  “Alex?”

  She glanced sideways at him. “Huh?”

  Kaiden pressed his lips together in what she knew was an attempt to repress a smile. “Any other questions?” he repeated.

  “Oh, uh… No,” she said, somewhat dazed. Then she came to her senses and cried, much louder than was necessary given the lack of distance between them, “Wait! There is something else.”

  “You’ve got about thirty seconds before we hit the dorm building,” Kaiden said, and she took that as an invitation to continue.

  “A’enara,” she said. “You told me you’d learned something.”

  “I also said you probably already know most of it by now,” Kaiden reminded her. “It’s frustrating how little information I’ve managed to find.” He paused before correcting, “Or rather, how little verifiable information.”

  “Verifiable?”

  “That weapon of yours is drowning in legend,” Kaiden said. “Many of the stories I’ve uncovered are so outrageous that it’s impossible to tell fact from fiction.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Alex mumbled, knowing how strange her magical blade was.

  “I do know that it was created by the Tia Aurans back before they banished the Meyarins to Medora.” He paused to ask, “You know who they are, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, from what I’ve gathered, A’enara goes by several names. The Sword of the Stars, the Bringer of Light, the Blade of Glory—”

  “And the Weapon of the Ages,” Alex cut in, already knowing this.

  “And one final name,” Kaiden said when she didn’t add more. “The Balance of Power.”

  That one, Alex hadn’t heard before. “What do you think that last one means?”

  She felt him shrug, given that his arm was still wrapped around her. “Beats me. But amid all the mythological hyperbole, the name A’enara was synonymous with another name, both used together frequently in ancient texts.”

  “What name?”

  “Vae’varka.”

  “Vay-eh-var-kuh.” Alex repeated his pronunciation, the word feeling unpleasant on her tongue. “What is it? This… Vae’varka? Is it a person? A Tia Auran? A Meyarin?”

  Kaiden shifted his grip on her shoulder but didn’t remove his arm. If anything, he was now even closer than before. “I’m sorry, Alex, but I don’t know. There were even less documented notes about Vae’varka than A’enara.”

  Alex sighed. “Another dead end.”

  “Maybe not,” Kaiden said, giving her a squeeze. “I still have a few sources left to try. Something might turn up.”

  Alex didn’t place much hope in his success. If Aven-of-the-past hadn’t been able to tell her much about it, she doubted Kaiden would be able to dredge up anything useful. And when it came down to it, as long as A’enara continued to save her life, she didn’t really need to know the weapon’s secrets. She was simply curious.

  But despite all that, she still mumbled her thanks as they entered the dorm building and he escorted her to her room.

  Long after they’d said goodnight, she still felt the phantom embrace of his arm wrapped tightly around her as she drifted off to sleep.

  Fourteen

  “Are you guys ready for this?” Alex asked the next morning.

  She, Jordan, Bear and D.C. were standing in the Library’s corridor of doors where Sir Camden had told her to go when she was ready to visit the ‘old kingdoms’ of Medora—or the ‘yonderlands’, as he’d also referred to them, though she would never repeat that word aloud.

  “Is that a trick question?” Jordan asked, bouncing on his feet.

  It was nice to see him so animated after everything he’d been through, but still…

  “This isn’t meant to be fun, Jordan,” D.C. said with mild but still clear reproof. “What we’re doing is important.”

  “I’m aware of that,” Jordan returned, no less excited. “But can you honestly tell me you’re not looking forward to this? Just a little bit?”

  Bear jumped in and added, “It’s not every day that humans set foot in Nialas.”

  “That’s because we value life,” D.C. pointed out. “And I hear drowning is one of the worst ways to go.”

  D.C.’s concerns were valid. Nialas was the Flips’ capital city and part of the Undersea Islands. By definition alone, ‘undersea’ implied enough cause for alarm—that being because the home of the Flips was, indeed, underwater.

  But Alex also knew from her Species Distinction class, as well as her refresher meeting with the teachers earlier in the week, that the Flips were capable of breathing in both atmospheric and aquatic conditions. Despite being more amphibious than humanoid, they needed oxygen to survive. Kind of like whales, or at least that’s how she compared them in her mind. Because of that, their underwater municipalities were pressurised and contained, like massive air bubble cities deep in the ocean.

  “Don’t be such a princess,” Bear said with a teasing grin, nudging D.C. in the ribs. “Your parents have travelled to Nialas, haven’t they? They clearly survived the trip. We’re going to be fine.”

  “It’s still not meant to be fun,” she repeated, grumbling slightly—most likely from the ‘princess’ dig.

  “Then we’ll do our best to act mature and avoid asking if they have a waterslide theme park we can visit while we’re down there,” Jordan promised, somehow managing to keep a straight face. “As hard as that will be.”

  D.C. pursed her lips and, from way too much outsider experience over the last few days, Alex knew that if she didn’t intervene, Jordan would take that as an invitation to kiss his girlfriend, so she quickly said, “I guess this means we’re good to go, right?”

  “Right,” Bear said.

  “Right!” Jordan agreed.

  “… Right,” came D.C.’s less eager but still willing response.

  Alex nodded and did what only she could by calling out to the Library and asking, “Can you please show us the way to Nialas?”

  As Sir Camden had promised, the corridor had only a few doorways in it this time, considerably less than when she had been wandering it with the knight, so Alex was able to see when a door clicked open only a few feet along from where they stood.

  “I guess that’s our stop,” Alex said, walking forward. Only, when she arrived and was close enough to see through the doorway, she realised they might have a problem.

  “So,” Jordan said, peering over her shoulder. “Anyone bring a snorkel?”

  Alex stared through the barrier separating the corridor from the outside, seeing nothing but deep, dark water. Intrigued, she moved her hand over the threshold only to have her fingers come back dripping wet.

  “L
et’s try this again,” she murmured, taking a step backwards. Louder, she called out to the Library again, “It’s nice to see you have a sense of humour, but how about a doorway so that we can reach Nialas? Preferably without having to grow flippers and gills first.”

  Alex could have sworn she heard a quiet chuckle echo in her ears as another doorway opened a few more feet away. This one, Alex was relieved to discover, led to somewhere above ground.

  “I know that place,” D.C. said as she looked ahead of Alex. “It’s the harbour at Tryllin. We could have just used a Bubbledoor if we’d known that’s where we have to go.”

  Alex squinted through the door and, sure enough, she recognised the seaside boardwalk the two of them had walked along just a few months ago, the day after D.C.’s seventeenth birthday.

  “Either way, no drowning for us,” Bear said with a satisfied nod.

  “Not yet, anyway,” Jordan said, his tone way too cheerful given the subject matter.

  Hoping she wouldn’t regret bringing friends along with her—and so far, the verdict was still out on that one—Alex stepped into the bright Tryllin sunshine. The moment they were all through the doorway and shielding against the sudden glare, a new voice spoke up.

  “I was beginning to wonder if you would ever arrive.”

  Whirling around, Alex was beyond shocked to see Jeera leaning casually against the harbour railing.

  “Um…” Alex mumbled, having no idea what to say. “Hey?”

  “This is so not good,” D.C. whispered, attempting to hide her royal self behind Jordan.

  Alex feared her roommate just might be right.

  “So, uh, what are you doing here, Jeera?” she asked when the Warden didn’t respond to her hesitant greeting.

  “I could ask you the same question, Alex, but we both already know the answer to that.”

  Alex decided to drop the act. “I know I was told to stand down, to just wait and see what Aven does. But I’m sorry, Jeera, I can’t do that. And if you try to stop me…”

  She trailed off, not knowing how to finish her sentence. While she was confident she could take Jeera in a fight, that didn’t mean she wanted to.